ANALYSIS: What Happened to Rock?
GLENN VAN DE WIEL/UNSPLASH
In the past century, many genres of music have risen to prominence and become staples of their respective eras. One of these genres is rock, pop- ularized in the late 1950s and gaining a mainstream following in the 1960s. However, unlike its siblings such as jazz and R&B, the output of new rock has faded in today’s music landscape, with the most relevant rock musicians barely keeping the genre alive. When the output of rock music in the 80s and 90s is compared to that of today, it is clear that rock has faded from today’s music scene. Why is this?
To understand how rock has fallen, one must understand how rock rose. Rock’s creation is hard to pin- point, as it slowly progressed in pop- ularity during the 50s and 60s. It was derived from blues and jazz, starting as a much more subtle and understated genre. However, it quickly diverged from its roots, with a more blunt and overstated style than its predecessors led by musicians such as Elvis Presley. This new style caught the attention of many listeners across the globe. One of which was radio DJ Alan Freed, who would promote the music and eventu- ally labelled it “rock and roll.”
Rock’s longtime prominence is largely due to its different phases, in which new variations rose to the fore- front. These redefined what rock truly was, and provided something fresh to catch the attention of the public. Some of these rebirths of rock are jazz-rock, progressive rock, indie rock, and punk rock.
Rock’s fade from mainstream appeal happened slowly, but may be at- tributed to two main movements in the music industry: hip-hop and electronic music. Hip-hop’s birth and rise oc- curred in the second half of the 1980s, during rock’s time of dominance,
and quickly expanded in the decades following until it surpassed rock to become the most consumed genre in the US in 2017, according to Nielsen’s 2017 Music Year-End Report.
While hip-hop can be credited with dethroning rock, the introduction of electronic equipment also played a key role in rock’s exit from the public eye. Rock musicians started to embrace the new possibilities that it brought. The two genres coexisted for decades following the electronic genre’s upbringing. However, over time, the integration of electronic elements overthrew rock itself. This was mainly due to the wider diversity of sounds and stylistic choices that electronic equipment offered.
In today’s music landscape, the outcome of this integration is clear. New rock music released does not chart very high, being topped by pop and hip-hop artists such as Drake and Imagine Dragons. The latter of the two is labelled a rock band, but defines themselves as the fusion between electronic and rock, with its electronic elements more prominent than the rock aspect. The last definite rock song to peak at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 is Nickelback’s How You Remind Me, in December of 2001.
Hip-hop introduced sampling, or manipulating and integrating parts of previous music (such as rock) for a unique sound. This has also been done in other genres such as electronic to emulate rock sounds of the past.
Additionally, sampling makes bridging this generational gap easier. The technique of sampling for a nostalgic effect is now a widely used and extremely popular method of music-making.
Another element in music that has been finding its place over the past decade is nostalgia. Nostalgia is often seen in mainstream music, popularized due to the powerful memories and emotions it can invoke. Its prominence in music in recent years is best seen in pop music drawing from sounds from the past, such as in Silk Sonic’s recent album.
Rock’s influence is apparent in hip- hop, pop, and electronic music. This
is seen especially in the pop songs charting today.
Lately, we have seen some rock music resurging with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, leading punk rock on a slow yet steady incline. More pop acts show rock roots, such as in Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” However, the new rock music we see charting does not take too radical of an approach compared to its previous re-inventions
Though rock has a strong influence on today’s music, the genre has strayed away from the limelight. However, nostalgia’s increasing role in music and rock’s growing undertones in pop music may change that.
This small yet noticeable resur- gence does raise the question: could rock make a return to the mainstream?